Janet Daley was born in America where she began her political life on the Left as an undergraduate at Berkeley. She moved to Britain (and to the Right) in 1965 where she spent nearly twenty years in academic life before becoming a political commentator: all factors that inform her writing on British and American policy and politicians.

Modernisers merge with the mainstream at Tory Conference – except on Europe

A ConservativeHome fringe that I've just chaired has revealed a mildly surprising (and very hopeful) truth: there is no longer a schism in the Tory Party between modernisers and what Tim Montgomerie calls "mainstream" Conservatives. Or at least, the split is no longer visceral and fundamental to the party's strategy and sense of itself.

The packed meeting was hugely good-natured. While there were certainly notable differences of opinion on the topic in hand ("How can the Conservatives win the next election?"), these were more questions of emphasis and tone than of substance. The panel – which included Nick Boles, Tim Montgomerie and Stephan Shakespeare – found vast areas of agreement with each other and with the audience, who represented most shades of Tory opinion.

What was most striking was the extent to which the modernising tendency, at least as personified by Nick, had effectively re-defined its position. Though it might still advocate what some of us would regard as "public opinion-led" tactics, the issues which it was now prepared to accept as critical to a Conservative victory included immigration, crime, personal responsibility and the economy – the very topics which it might once have declared out of order as "Tory obsessions". And, most significant, the once-defining issue of modernisation – climate change – was now quietly removed from the top of the list of priorities.

The one issue on which there is still fairly heartfelt dispute is Europe: the modernisers still believe it to be marginal to the interests of most voters. (I think this may well be true in the abstract, although the practical implications of EU membership can seem extremely relevant to the lives of ordinary people: the influx of East European migrants, for example.)

What remains of the modernising movement? Probably the most useful bits of social awareness and psychological sensitivity. It is demonstrably true (as Stephan demonstrated with empirical evidence) that large tranches of the electorate believe that the Conservatives do not understand or sympathise with the needs and problems of people like themselves. There is still work to be done in addressing this. But as many in the audience were determined to argue, it is unlikely that the answer lies in lack of conviction or the sacrificing of basic principle. But at least now we seem to be agreed on what constitutes those principles. The argument about how they should be presented and packaged may continue, but the debate, I expect, will be less destructive and much more amiable.